Samsung Certified Re-Newed Phones on Amazon: Models, Price, Warranty

Until last week, a refurbished Galaxy on Amazon meant trusting a seller you’d never heard of. On 21 October 2026 Samsung announced that Samsung Certified Re-Newed phones are now sold on Amazon.com, the first time its factory-refurbished program has been offered there. Prices start at $489.

Below: the seven models, the warranty, how this differs from an ordinary Amazon Renewed listing, and the checks to run on the IMEI the day the box arrives.

What Samsung is selling, and the terms

According to Samsung Electronics America’s newsroom, Certified Re-Newed now covers “select Galaxy smartphones” through a dedicated Samsung Certified Re-Newed storefront on Amazon.com. Samsung calls it “a Galaxy first” for the program, which until now ran mainly through Samsung’s own online store. SamMobile notes the launch is US-only.

What Samsung has published:

• Price: from $489, before taxes and fees.
• Refurbishing: done by Samsung specialists with 100% Samsung genuine parts, including a certified new battery.
• Testing: each phone has to pass 147 quality checkpoints to get the label.
• Warranty: Samsung’s standard one-year limited manufacturer warranty.
• Protection: eligible for Samsung Care+ against drops, spills and mechanical breakdowns.
• In the box: a quick start guide, a data cable and a SIM ejector pin, in 100% recyclable packaging.

The seven Galaxy models

Seven phones in 14 storage configurations, one colour each at launch:

Samsung has only given the $489 starting price, not a price per model, and Amazon prices move often. Before buying, compare the listing with a new phone on sale and with Samsung’s own Certified Re-Newed store. A certified re-newed Galaxy S25 Ultra is only a bargain if the gap to a discounted new one is real.

Certified Re-Newed or Amazon Renewed?

Both labels show up on Amazon, often near each other. What separates them is who refurbished the phone and who stands behind it.

For standard US Amazon Renewed listings, refurbishing guides such as Refurb.me describe a battery threshold above 80% health and, for most items, a 90-day return window. Renewed Premium items have a higher battery bar and a longer return period. Those terms can change, so read the warranty box on the actual product page. The labels are explained in more depth in refurbished vs used vs renewed phones.

Who it makes sense for

The two strongest arguments are the new battery and the manufacturer warranty. Battery wear is the usual weak spot of a two-year-old flagship, and with a Samsung warranty you deal with Samsung service, not an unknown reseller, if something breaks.

Against that:

• Price gap. New S25-series phones are often discounted. If a new one with a full warranty costs only a little more, buy new.
• Choice. One colour per model and limited storage options at launch.
• Software support is a plus: the S24 and S25 families are recent flagships under Samsung’s long-term update policy, so a refurbished unit should get One UI upgrades and security patches for years. Samsung’s security updates page lists the exact end date for each model.
• Care+. Samsung says Care+ claims for cracked screens and back glass cost $29 each, which makes a refurbished flagship a reasonable pick for someone who drops phones.

It suits people who want a flagship camera and screen without flagship pricing, parents buying a teenager’s first good phone, and small businesses kitting out staff with phones that have years of updates left. If you always want the newest features or a particular colour, new is simpler.

Landing on the right Amazon listing

Search results mix Samsung’s Certified Re-Newed listings with Amazon Renewed, “refurbished” and used offers from other sellers, sometimes on the same product page. To stay on the right one:

1. Start from the Samsung Certified Re-Newed storefront linked in Samsung’s announcement, not a general search for “refurbished Galaxy”.
2. Read the title and badge. It should say Certified Re-Newed, not just “Renewed” or “Refurbished”.
3. Look at “Ships from” and “Sold by”. If a different offer is selected, the terms and warranty may differ. Make sure the buy box shows the Certified Re-Newed offer.
4. Find the warranty wording: the one-year Samsung limited warranty and Samsung Care+ eligibility.
5. Screenshot the page with the model, storage and warranty text. If the phone that turns up doesn’t match, that’s your evidence for a return.

Cheaper “like new” offers from other sellers aren’t automatically bad. They just don’t come with Samsung’s new battery and genuine-parts promise, so judge them as ordinary used phones.

If you’re comparing it with a marketplace deal

A used phone from a private seller or marketplace has none of these guarantees. Ask for the IMEI before paying and check blacklist status, carrier lock and any unpaid financing, model, region and warranty with a Samsung report, and the Samsung account and Knox Guard status on the phone itself. Every step is in our guide to checking a used Samsung before buying.

The day it arrives: five checks inside the return window

Even with Samsung behind it, check the phone while you can still send it back. Mistakes happen: wrong storage, a carrier-locked unit, an IMEI that doesn’t match the box.

Match the IMEI everywhere

Dial *#06# or open Settings › About phone › Status information › IMEI information. It should match the label on the box. Write it down, because every check below uses it.

Model, region and warranty

In Settings › About phone, confirm the model number (for example SM-S938U or SM-S938U1 for a US S25 Ultra) and the storage. Then run a Samsung Info report on the IMEI for the model code, country or region, and warranty status. Our Samsung IMEI and warranty check guide explains how to read it.

Carrier lock

Put in a SIM from your carrier and make a test call. If you might switch networks later, a carrier and SIM-lock check shows whether it’s locked.

Blacklist status

A factory-refurbished phone should be clean, but a GSMA blacklist check takes a minute and covers you if there’s been a mix-up. Your first all-in-one check is free:

Hardware test

On most Galaxy phones, dialling *#0*# opens the hidden hardware test menu. You can also use Settings › Device care › Diagnostics or the Samsung Members app. Go through the screen, touch, cameras, speakers, microphones, vibration and sensors, and check Settings › Battery for normal charging.